My Wal-Mart Clematis

She is a Miss Bateman and cost 4.88. She would be about 2' tall if I stretched her out, but she is kind of tangled up. I am going to pot her today.

It's obvious your Wal Mart got a shipment far superior to ours. I potted them up downstairs, under lights, and if they're two inches tall it's a lot. I figured it was worth the risk.

I went looking at our Wal-Mart yesterday after seeing your post, hoping I'd fine some clematis, too! But no luck. :(

Looking forward to seeing your blooms!

Our wal-mart never carry clematis. Maybe a trip up north is due to check out their Wally Worlds!! I

Your Miss Bateman is lookin' good! Do re-pot her in a 1 gallon container with well amended soil & a handful of bone meal. She will reward with lot of growth & flowers.

Other big box stores to check out besides Wal-Mart is Lowe's, Home Depot and K-Mart. You'll never know what you will find or rescue from their plant departments.

i like that...."rescue"
that's exactly what i've thought when i've bought clematis from walmart & how i explained it to my dh :-)

How long do you keep them in the gallon pot?? Can you just put them in the ground or won't they make it??

The ones you buy at big box stores are infants. I grow mine out for 1 season, which means that you can plant them in the Fall. I prefer to plant mine during the Fall because there is abundant moisture and the temperatures are cooler.

They most likely will suffer by planting them directly into the ground at their immature age. You may forget to water them, the Summertime can bring high temperatures and even possibly drought. I would rather pamper mine for 1 season than throwing my money away and letting them lanquish or even die.

Well, Wal-Mart was a disappointment..... but I found some to "rescue" at Lowes today! Yay!

I went a little nuts and got:

Miss Bateman
H.F. Young
Fireworks
Dr. Ruppel
Niobe

They are all in the little 3" or so pots, so I'll be potting them up in bigger pots (naturally with some bone meal) and will wait to plant them in the Fall. They look pretty good for their size, though, good roots coming out the bottoms of the bottoms of the little pots and healthy looking foliage.

Hi. My name is Valerie and I'm a Clemaholic!

Are you putting them under lights to get them started?

Shirley, so do you grow them out inside on a window sill? Or on the patio or something like that?

Maybe mine would have a better chance if I followed your directions...

Good morning,

I have a question for all you "Clemaholics"?

When I moved into my new home I inhearited two that are on a split rail fence on the edge of the driveway. The soil is sand and rocks. It flowered last year three blooms. It really needs some help and I have never had one so what do you all think I should do to help the girls?

Thanks so much


Amos

Compost, compost and more compost.

Add the compost to the top of the soil or dig the compost in?

I'm by no means our Shirley but I can tell you what I do with those itty bitty clematis in the 2 1/2 inch orange pots if I feel they are too immature to be planted directly into the garden..I pot them up in a one-gallon with bonemeal and then I dig a hole in my retaining garden and drop the pot and bring the soil back up around the pot and keep moist...I leave them there until fall (Late September for me) and then I pull the pots out of the soil and plant into my garden..like Shirley said...fall has much cooler temps and more rains..so the clematis have a wonderful chance of growing a good root system over fall and winter ...remember that it's important to pinch out the tops of those clematis...you might let it grow up to enjoy a few blooms but do keep pinching leaving some leaves for you want your baby to focus on growing roots and not the vines...Hope this helps...Jeanne

That's my plan! At least, to put them in bigger pots with some bone meal. I don't have a spot in the garden where I can hold them just yet, but by Fall I'll be able to plant them in a real spot. Meanwhile, I'll watch them carefully!

tabasco:

It depends which season you're talking about. When I'm growing out my baby Clematis during the Winter months, I have them growing inside next to a sunny window. If it is Summer time, I'll have them outside on my deck near the house where I can keep an eye on them. My deck faces the East and the tender plant won't get burned from the very strong rays of the sun. They will naturally dry out more quickly during the Summer heat and I'm right there to keep their soil moist, but not wet.

In my growing zone, planting a grown out Clematis in the Fall works best. I've lost lots of Clematis that were planted in the Spring and had to survive my drought stricken area and then were additionally punished with water rationing restrictions. I think you can now understand why I pamper them until the Fall. As I mentioned above, the temps are cooler and there is more consistant rain fall. Then they have a good chance of surviving in my garden.

If I lived in the North were the Winters are much more severe, then I would plant my Clematis in the garden during the Spring. So, it really pays to know your gardening zones and growing conditions.

Amos: Welcome to the Clematis Forum! As Pirl mentioned, adding compost around your vines is very important. I would also top it off with mulch to help the soil retain moisture. If you can "lightly" scratch in the compost and top with mulch, your Clematis will love it. I would not dig down as you might injure some of the roots. Try to pull back the mulch a little bit so it is not touching the vines. If touching, it sometimes promotes fungal disease.

I agree with Jeanne. It is important to "pinch" your Clematis back as that will encourage multiple vines to grow instead of 1 straggly vine. Yes, you will scarifice a few blooms, but in subsequent years, your Clematis will reward you with a bigger flush of color.

Thanks Shirley,

Oh, dear. I didn't know clematis were so tender. I bought two (Snow Queen and Little Nell) from the dollar table at the nursery last September that I overwintered in the garage (maybe I should have had them inside on my window sill). Anyway I took them out and they seemed to have survived the overwintering and are showing new growth. They are in gallon pots.

Our winters aren't so dreadful cold but they are wet here. And I'm thinking I should plant them now and let them settle in before the hot season arrives in late June. Does that seem OK to you?

I read the tags and it said 'moderate pruning' in springtime on one and 'prune in spring' on the other so I did. Maybe I was too agressive with the little things and should have 'pinched' instead of pruned....

Just took a quick walk around the yard to check on 3 of my in ground clamatis (don't know the names anymore) and they are starting to sprout. Should I pinch out these sprouts, too? They each look like a single vine shooting up (these are relatively paltry 3 year old plants--not very robust at all)

Clematis cause me no end of confusion and concern! I'll have to check this forum for other good info on them! And any tips would be appreciated. Thanks. t.

Tabasco,

You're very welcome! We're all here to learn, support and encourage one another!

Clematis are not tender vines, they are perennials. I'm sure that the ones that you over wintered in your un-heated garage did just fine, as long as your remembered to water them. As soon at the temperatures start to climb, you will see them break their dormancy and green sprouts will appear. Give them either Rose or Tomato fertilizer, compost & mulch and then watch them take off! I think you'll be very happy with the results.

You know your growing zone much better than me. If you feel that your Clematis would benefit from a cool wet Spring, then plant them now so that they can establish their root system. You are one complete zone colder than me, so perhaps your Summer temperatures are not as brutal.

I believe in pruning. You encourage a bushier plant, more stems and ultimately more flowers. I don't think you can go wrong if you pruned them lightly now. Once you prune, don't forget to fertilize, mulch & water them. Once they have finished blooming, then repeat the pruning, fertilizing & mulching again. Don't prune after late August.

You're going to become an addicted Clematis lover in no time!

I'll become addicted to clematis if you will help me grow them! I love them but they don't always love me!

Thanks for your instructions!

We're all here to help you! I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your blooming Clematis very soon.

tabasco, I was thinking I couldn't grow Clematis when I first tried them, but then I found this forum and guess what!!!! I can!!!!! I can even offer a little help now too!!!! My Clematis are sooooo happy I found all these wonderful Clemaholics to give me some help!

Debbie

I agree..and welcome to the world of Clematis..I was just like Debbie..until I learned how to properly plant them and provide them with what they need..I was unsuccessful with clematis as well..but now they are a joy to grow!! and they are so addictive!!...Jeanne

tabasco I only started getting into clematis about three years ago and trust me - they aren't hard to keep at all. Well - mind you mine are all in the garden and not in pots. However so far I haven't had any troubles with mine. I just love them to pieces....I just wish I had more room for more!!! It is so rewarding growing clematis!!!

Well, you are all building my confidence so well. Now talk to Mother Nature about our weather! (Just kidding.)

I have about 10 clematis in the garden, all struggling. As they emerge from winter sleep I will be bombarding you all with quesitons!

I am going to love posting on this forum! Thanks so much! t.

My babies are growing!

(I will pot them up, fear not!)

Pirl: Those baby Clematis vines are lookin' good! I'm trying to read all your labels. Can you tell us which ones they are please?

This really put a smile on my face this morning - I usually reserver those early morning Sunday hours for walking my gardens to see whats new etc while the kiddos are still asleep...this is another big box store save from last year that is doing well thus far...I bought 6 in all and like an idiot didn't mark in my garden diary what I planted where - but I think this one is Josephine...I hope she opens more tom... :o)

Shirley - Two are Venosa Violacea, there's a Nelly Moser (though I already have three of them), and HF Young - all from Wal Mart. Then there are two Sweet Autumn in the back from a trader.

rednyr - what a lovely surprise for you!

Thanks Pirl! I love "Venosa Violacea" and you must be in love with "Nelly Moser".

rednyr: Can't wait until your beautiful Clematis unfurls its tepals.

Pirl, so you grew your clamatis from seed? Is it difficult?

r., your Josephine is so pretty. I hope mine are as lovely.

I have a few buds on mine that I overwintered in the garage in pots. They are outside now--I'm wondering if I should bring them in since it will be getting below freezing tonight?? Any thoughts? Or cover the ones planted in the garden?

tabasco - they're Wal Mart babies, not from any seed.

Shirley - While I do like Nelly Moser I only bought it because it was there. That's what March does to people who've survived winter again and are too eager for spring.

I have covered all my Clematis with pine straw for tonite - here in SC we are supposed to get down to 35 possibly lower for the next 3 nights....I hate to take any chances as they all have numerous swollend buds that are due to pop any day now,...

I'd better get out there and cover mine up!